The Best of Perth!

In November 2017 I travelled to Australia with my partner, our first stop staying with family in Perth. We flew with Emirates which takes approximately 20 hours with a short stop in Dubai. There are several other options and it is worth considering the new direct service to Perth with Qantas which reduces the journey time to just under 17 hours. There is so much to do in Western Australia and we certainly made the most of our trip! During our stay we did a day trip to Rottnest Island by ferry from Fremantle which takes approximately 25 minutes. Rottnest is car free and the only way to get around the island is either by the island hop on hop off bus or bicycles which can be hired for the day. Rottnest is home to the Quokka which is a small rodent type of animal that is native to Western Australia, they are very cute and inquisitive and can be found in many parts of the island especially where there is food! The island is very pretty, and you may decide that a day is not quite long enough, so there are options to stay overnight or even a few days. We would definitely consider doing this another time! Please feel free to contact me for more details. There are many options to stay in and around Perth from hotels to self-catering apartments and public transport makes it quite easy to get about, although if you are planning on travelling further afield it would be worth hiring a car. A relaxing cruise along the Swan River is a great way to get from Fremantle to Perth or vice versa. We opted to take a return trip from Fremantle and spent a few hours in Perth before heading back. Within Perth itself a visit to Kings Park and Botanic Gardens is a must with magnificent views over Perth and the Swan River. There are many options for seeing wildlife around Perth. A visit to Caversham wildlife Park is great for children and adults alike! There is also Penguin Island which is about 45 minutes south of Perth by car and then a 5-minute ferry trip where you can visit the world’s smallest penguins at their discovery centre and you can also join a cruise to see Australian sea lions and wild dolphins. We also visited AQWA the Aquarium of Western Australia and went on a whale watching trip which are both based at Hilary's Boat Harbour north of Perth. The whale watching trips are only available between September and December due to the migration. A few days spent around Margaret River is most certainly worth a visit. We took a small group wine tour of the region visiting several vineyards which I would highly recommend. The coastline in this area around Prevelly and Gnarabup is stunning and there are also quite a lot of caves which are also worth a visit, we visited Lake Cave. I would definitely recommend hiring a car if you are considering visiting this area as it is about 3 hours south of Perth, although organised trips can be arranged from Perth. We had a fantastic time in Perth and I would highly recommend Western Australia. Fortunately having family there, we have an excuse to go back!